


The Sea Called

by GingerAtHome



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen, Nakamaship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-01-25 21:45:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12541888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerAtHome/pseuds/GingerAtHome
Summary: A collection of one-shots centering around our favorite pirates ranging from happy to sad and everything in between. Characters and relationships will be added as necessary.





	1. Two Years

Zoro- The man the sea turned its back on.

Zoro wasn’t one to be too sentimental (I mean he goes through a sword a day it seems) but there were things that even he couldn’t let go. One was his promise to his friend. And two was his promise to his captain. 

Although, he thought as he sat in the restaurant of the town he currently resided in, his captain never kept his promise.

He got up from his seat and, much like his captain, left without paying. Afterall, he was once a crew member of the infamous Strawhat Pirates and pirates don’t pay especially if that pirate was a Strawhat.

As he walked down to the port he watched the sea beckon to him and he paused. Maybe this is what Luffy had felt the day he set out to be a pirate, maybe he had felt the sea beckon.  _ No,  _ he corrected himself. This  _ was  _ what he had felt. 

And as someone in the distance screamed about how he hadn’t paid he thought about his captain. The man who never turned his back on the sea even though it had turned its back on him.

He walked towards his ship, the same ship he had gotten lost in for the last two years. It wasn’t anywhere close to the original Thousand Sunny, but that was the name written on the side. To remind him of the promise he made with  **the man the sea turned its back on.**

 

Nami- Her savior who she couldn’t save.

Nami had always thought she was strong. She had sided with the fishman who killed her mother in order to free her village all by herself. She didn’t really cry or complain about things that actually kept her up at night. She joined another pirate crew and journeyed with some of the dumbest people she had ever met. She even planned on keeping a near impossible promise.

But promises are often times broken, maybe not on purpose, but broken nonetheless. He had broken his, her savior who inspired her to follow her dream, and in return she broke her’s choosing to return home rather than continue on a captainless journey.

Today, like most, she sat amongst the tangerines where only her sister could find her and watched the sun as it set over the unusually hectic waves. “The sun setting on an era that ended too quickly.” She knew that saying that was late, after all, Luffy’s era had ended two years ago, but she couldn’t think it let alone say it. 

She could hear someone calling her from her home, but she didn’t get up or even acknowledge that someone had said anything. She was too busy thinking about what would have happened if she could have saved him. Would he be laughing at something Usopp said? Maybe trying to eat what Sanji had made for her? She wanted to cry just thinking about it.

She wanted to cry for  **her savior who she couldn’t save.**

 

Usopp-A lie that isn’t true.

Usopp had told too many lies to count in a lifetime. Some did turn out to be true, shocking to everyone including the liar himself, but most didn’t.

He walked next to Kaya as she went to her next patient’s home. This is _ good,  _ he thought, this is where I  _ belong _ . I was always too weak to be a pirate, especially for a Strawhat. I mean, even Nami was stronger than me.

On that fateful day two years ago he lost more than his captain, he lost one of the few who believed his lies, even the one’s that would never be true. He lost more than his captain, he lost his will to be a pirate, his desire for adventure.

“Are you alright Usopp?” Kaya asked as they stopped at the door.

“Y-yeah, just thinking about something.”

She frowned, but knew better than to dig any deeper. She knew better than anyone that Usopp wasn’t the same kid that had left. He was  _ broken _ .

“Okay. Could you wait out here for me? I don’t want you to get sick as well.”

He nodded and turned away from her. Her frown deepened as she thought of what he would have said before he left, but now couldn’t bring himself to.

He watched the waves sway softly and shook his head. They should have been angry, angry at him for giving up on his dream, for being too accepting of his death, for not trying to lie and prove it true.

But he couldn’t say it. He couldn’t say it to Nami and Chopper as they cried. He couldn’t say it to Zoro and Sanji who couldn’t bring themselves to do anything let alone fight. He couldn’t say it to Robin who didn’t smile in amusement like she normally did. Or to Brook who couldn’t laugh. Or to Franky who couldn’t speak for once.

_ Luffy can’t be dead. I’m sure when he gets back he’ll be angry that we didn’t have more faith in him.  _ For the first time Usopp couldn’t tell  **a lie that isn’t true.**

 

Sanji-Food no one would ever eat.

Sanji stood unmoving in front of a customer as he told him how bad the food tasted, behind him his fellow chefs shook their heads as he did nothing. He couldn’t bring himself to be angry because it was true, his food didn’t hold the same extraordinary flavor they did two years ago.

“Are you even listening?”

He stared down at the man and took the plate off the table, “I apologize.” Then he walked away as the customer began to yell and scream again.

“Why did you come back if you can’t cook?” Chef Zeff said when he came back to the kitchen.

He didn’t look the man in the eyes as he cleaned off the plates. “I can cook.”

“Not like you used to,” he told the boy he had started this business with. “...I didn’t think that his death would still hold you back.”

Sanji stood in silence, the tears were already building up as he thought about the boy who loved his food so much that he tried to steal it all the time. “You met him.”

“I did, and I doubt he would want you to give up on your dream.”

“Everyone else gave up, why shouldn’t I?”

Now their eyes met, “I thought you were smarter than that. If you aren’t going to cook right then get out, I have no use for a useless chef.”

He thought about leaving, listening to the man, but he wasn’t like that. So he walked over to the stove and began to cook.

Chef Zeff nodded, “Now cook properly, cook like you’re cooking for your crew.” Because Zeff knew, as did everyone else, that Sanji cooked every night, cooked  **food that no one would ever eat.**

 

Chopper- To have left him a broken monster

Chopper curled further into a ball as Kureha yelled at him to stop moping around, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t even pick up one of the medical books he brought back with him. Couldn’t look at a patient no matter how much he wanted to help. Couldn’t even look outside and the pink snow that she had made for him.

“Look at you,” she said, “You left a crybaby and you came back one. I thought you got stronger so you could take care of your crew.”

He was crying, he hadn’t stopped for what felt like two years. The tears stopped him from speaking but he wanted to snap at her that it wasn’t just a random person who was gone, that it was his captain, the man that looked at him and didn’t see a monster but a friend, the man who saved this kingdom because it was him and that was just who he was. Instead a low cry came out and she just shook her head.

“A real doctor would try to help others, not cry for two years,” she yelled, “Can’t you see that you’re not helping anyone?”

“Why should I?” He yelled finally, the sobs cutting in and out. “I couldn’t help my captain when he needed me and now he’s gone… I don’t deserve to be called a doctor.”

“Then you should never have gone out to sea, he knew what could happen and so did you. He took those odds and now you have to accept that and be the doctor you said you would become.”

He didn’t want to listen, didn’t want to hear that she was right, but he did and he stood up. He walked over to his work bench and opened his book. The tears didn’t stop as he began to write down the information he could use.

“That’s better,” Kureha said leaving him.

He stopped for a moment and thought of his captain, the man who had shown him the world only  **to have left him a broken monster.**

 

Robin- Never felt so alone

Robin, unlike most of the others, attempted to keep her promise as best she could. She went back to the rebellion headquarters to assist in this effort, and to comfort the brother who had lost his last brother. Sabo reacted the way she thought he would, shocked and angry. 

She wanted to tell him she was angry too, that she should have been able to do something, anything, to stop what happened from happening. But like the rest of the former Strawhats, she couldn’t.

“Robin,” Sabo said when she entered his room to speak to him, “Not today.” And she had nodded, because she could understand.

She sat down in her room, grabbing a book to pass the time until Sabo would find her and apologize like he did every time he felt this way, which was often. She glanced at the pages, not really reading, but scanning, hoping that the story would end differently this time.

“Stories never do,” she mused out loud. 

And maybe it was because she wanted so badly for her story to change, to end differently and maybe if she finished her research it would. Maybe she  would find a way to make it so her dearest captain’s era didn’t have to end.

Then Sabo walked in interrupting her thoughts and pulling her back to reality. She smiled softly at him and he forced one in return. But even as he spoke to her about what he learned on his journey and as others entered and exited the room, making sure to say hello to her, she  **never felt more alone.**

 

Franky-crying on the inside

Franky forced a laugh as he built yet another ship along side his friends. They were joking around as they always did, making sure that he was always near when they did. So he laughed for their sakes.

“Hey Franky, are you sure about this design?” Someone asked him holding up the blueprints for a ship and for a moment his heart stopped.

He quickly grabbed them, “These are the wrong designs.”

“Oh, sorry,” the worker muttered realizing his mistake the moment every head turned to glare at him.

He just shrugged, “Mistakes happen, give me a moment to find the correct ones.” He walked away as everyone in the Galley La Company watched not really sure of what to do.

The door of his office closed behind him, then and only then did he look at the blueprints again. The writing on the side indicated where Nami worked on her maps, where Zoro trained everyday, where Sanji cooked and Usopp and Chopper fished. Where Brook played and Robin read. Everything he wrote after traveling with them for a long time.

He heard the knock at his door but ignored it as the tears started to build up. The Thousand Sunny, the ship he made to sail the world, no, the ship he made to help the pirate king get to where he needed to go. But, of course, that never happen. And the king’s seat he made to resemble the king of beast was left empty.

And much like his masterpiece, Franky was left broken, alone, and  **crying on the inside.**

 

Brook- sung to him one last time

Brook laughed at his own loneliness. Not because it was funny but because he didn’t know what else to do. Laboon was waiting for him somewhere, but he couldn’t remember where. His crew fell sometime ago, but he couldn’t remember when. His captain had died somehow, but he couldn’t remember how. His mind had gone, but he didn’t notice.

That was the thing, years of not dying changes a person, especially when you’ve seen one crew die, two captains die, and one crew fall apart. “It breaks the mind,” he muses out loud tuning his violin that had no strings.

He laughed again and this time he swore he heard another laugh join in. A laugh he had grown to love just as much as the man it belonged to. The same man who saw him and asked him to join his crew no questions asked. Because he wasn’t the rest of the world that flinched at his bony hands, or screamed at his eyeless face. 

Monkey D. Luffy was a monster in his own right, so it didn’t matter if a skeleton with a song in his non existent heart wanted to sail with him as long as he had a dream.

Brook began to hum as the laughter of the always smiling captain filled his head. It was a song he had written for his captain two years ago, it was the last song Luffy would ever hear and he laughed as Brook  **sung to him one last time.**


	2. I Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A story written after the Arlong Park Arc centered around Nami and Luffy and an apology.

    Nami looked behind her, her home fading from view but she still knew it was there. That was the past, so she looked forwards, towards the unknown that she and everyone else on this ship had yet to see. 

    She laughed as Usopp told his stories. Smiled when Sanji swooned and handed her a beverage. Growled when Zoro called her a witch. She felt right at home. As if she hadn’t betrayed them once. But she did, even if she thought she had to, she did and still had apologized or even really thanked Luffy properly.

    “Have you seen Luffy?” She finally asked Zoro, knowing that if anyone could find their captain it was him.

    He glared at her, although she was pretty sure that was just how his face was, before nodding towards Merry’s head. She turned and saw the hands wrapped around each horn and heard the laughter from under the ram’s chin. She thanked him before starting towards the place he had named the captains seat.

    “Luffy!” She called. Moments later he was there, fallen from the sky like the first time they met. 

    “Nami!” He grinned, well grinned wider.

    “I-I wanted to talk to you.” Of course now she got nervous. Now, when she needed her words.

    “Okay.”

    “Thank you, for everything you did back there.”

    He just smiled. Because Monkey D. Luffy didn’t need thanks, he did what he did because that was just who he was.

    “I-It’s just… it’s just you were the first person who helped, who wasn’t killed or bribed to go away.”

    He tilted his head to the side almost confused, “Nami?”

    “I just wanted to thank you and… and apologize.”

    “For what?”

    “For abandoning you when you needed my help,” she said almost unsure in her words.

    And he laughed at her while she stared at him in shock. They stood there for a good minute while the straw hat wearing boy laughed and laughed. Usopp even stopped experimenting to look at them and Sanji seemed ready to run to her defense should she give him a glance. Zoro didn’t even look up.

    “Why are you laugh?” She yelled almost offended by his laugh.

    He laughed for another minute before answering her, “Because that’s not why you should be apologizing.”

    She looked at him, more confused now than ever. She stared at him and he stared at her, laughter still shining in his eyes but only a smile remained on his face. She stared and stared before laughing as well. Then he was laughing again and the two were just laughing. This time even Zoro had to look, probably thinking that the witch was dying.

When she could finally stop laughing she looked at her captain and thought it was funny she could finally call him her captain, funny in a good way though.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m sorry for not asking for your help in the first place.”

And he smiled, “You’re forgiven, just remember, I’ll hurt anyone who makes any of my crew cry.”

And she smiled a little wider. “Promise?”

“I promise.”


	3. The One Time Luffy Was Sick And Only Zoro Noticed

Zoro was training when he heard someone hit the ground near him. Of course he turned even though he was pretty sure of who it was from the yelling of a certain annoying cook. There he was though, his captain, his friend, Luffy, still on the ground even after a whole minute of being there.  
The black haired boy seemed almost out of breath as he laid there. And finally, just as Zoro began worrying about him, Luffy jumped up and let out a laugh that end shortly when he started coughing. Luffy looked towards him afterwards and when Zoro raised an eyebrow at the coughing he only laughed, “I swallowed a bug!”   
And then he was gone, off to play or steal food from the kitchen alongside Usopp and Chopper.  
So, as was Zoro’s normal reaction to his captain, he decided to believe him and returned to training. But he did listen, listened for the moment that someone said something about how Luffy was acting off.  
The second time he noticed something he was napping on the deck. Of course he was woken up by the screaming of a witch. He opened one eye when she began screaming about Luffy messing up her maps or something.  
“I told you before that you can’t touch them when the ink is still wet!” She screamed as she probably punched the rubber boy.   
Zoro scoffed standing to get a better look at what was going on.   
Luffy seemed to be apologizing, but Zoro only caught the part about him not sure of why he fell. Although Nami didn’t seem to hear that over her own anger. Thankfully she seemed to be happy enough to charge the strawhat wearing boy and leave it at that.  
He stood and walked over to the boy who was still trying to find his balance. He held out a hand that Luffy happily took.  
“Are you alright?” Zoro finally asked.  
Luffy, in common Luffy fashion, laughed his concern off and only nodded in response. And because Zoro was Zoro and trusted this boy his thought on the matter ended there.  
Of course, the matter didn’t end there. Because the moment Zoro went back to sleep yet another incident involving Luffy happened.  
He knew Luffy was singing and dancing with Usopp and Chopper as Brook played. He knew that they were just having fun and rough housing. But when he heard Usopp apologizing he also knew something wasn’t right, especially when the one he was apologizing to was Luffy. In un-Zorolike fashion, he jumped up and looked around frantically until his eye finally landed on the black-haired boy.   
Now, everyone who was on the deck, which was everyone, was looking at the first mate with shock as he almost ran to his captains side to help him up.  
“I-It was an accident,” Usopp muttered out as best he could.  
Chopper stood next to the shaking sharpshooter surprised like everyone that Zoro would rush over when they were just horsing around. “It was an accident really. Usopp didn’t know he had pepper in his pocket.”  
How didn’t he know? Zoro wanted to snap, but didn’t as he looked over his captain. He was warm, really warm in fact, but seeing as how Luffy was always pretty warm he could see how no one would see that it wasn’t right.  
“I’m fine,” Luffy croaked out, his eyes were red and teary, probably from the pepper, but for once Zoro wasn’t sure about the boy.  
He growled, pulling the boy back to his feet.  
“Thanks,” Luffy laughed before going back to his game with a still shaken Usopp.  
Chopper waited a moment, looking towards Zoro before running up to him, “I think Luffy’s sick!”  
“Yeah, me too.”  
The reindeer nodded in agreement, “But Luffy doesn’t seem to want to let me check.”  
Zoro looked away from his captain to look at the doctor, “Don’t worry about it. When he really needs it Luffy will come to you.”  
“How can you be so sure?”  
“I just am.”  
And that was a good enough answer because Chopper only knew Zoro and Luffy, never one without the other. So he trusted in Zoro and Luffy, but he did decide that he was going to stay close to his captain.

As the day came to an end Luffy seemed to get worse and worse to the point where the whole crew began to notice that he wasn’t himself. Zoro decided, after a concerned glance from Robin was directed towards their captain, that it was time to do something.  
He walked up to Luffy, who was currently laying on the lawn almost gasping for breath. “Luffy, why don’t you go see Chopper?”  
“I’m fine.”  
“...”  
“Don’t worry Zoro, if needed I’ll go see Chopper, but I’m fine.” The boy attempted to stand but fell the moment his feet touched the ground.  
“I know you, you won’t see Chopper unless you’re forced so I’m forcing you.”  
Luffy tried to laugh, but once again he broke into a cough fit that didn’t seem to want to end.  
Zoro rolled his eye at his captain’s seemingly endless stubbornest. “We’re going to see Chopper.” And he picked the boy up as Luffy attempted to argue.  
Chopper was ready the moment they walked through the door. The small animal muttered a thank you as Zoro placed Luffy on the bed and left the rest to the doctor.  
A few minutes later the door opened and Chopper beckoned Zoro in. “It’s just a cold, all he needs is some sleep and soup. Do you mind watching him until I get back from the kitchen?”  
It wasn’t a question he needed to ask, Zoro was already sitting down by the door.  
Once their doctor was gone Luffy sat up to look at his friend. “I told you I was fine.”  
“But you weren’t. I guess you really are human.”  
Luffy gave a weak laugh and Zoro laughed (actually chuckled) along with him.


	4. Late Night Watch

    Usopp always loved the late night watch. Maybe it was the fact that there was no one to criticize his latest blueprint or destroy his newest invention. Truly it was is favorite time of night, the point where the world was at its darkest, where the only light is the lamp burning next to him.

He enjoyed it, but he was almost never alone. He glanced over the edge of the crow’s nest and saw the lamp burning in the navigation room window. When he saw the lamp burning long past the time when everyone else had gone to bed he always climbed down.

In the window he could see Nami. She was drawing map after map, looking over one she just did only to throw it away when it wasn’t good enough. He watched her because he thought that this would be okay, that she needed someone to make sure she didn’t hurt herself but knew better than to interrupt her.

He didn’t like to think about it but he always did. Was this what she was like back then? Is she still trapped in that room drawing for a fishman who killed her mom? Did she think she had to finish them? And sometimes he thought walking in there, breaking the illusion that she was alone, but he never did.

He never did because he always knew that in a few minutes he would be awake, probably headed towards the bathroom but he would always see the light and see why. He, the boy, no the man, who saved her once before.

Monkey D. Luffy, always went to the bathroom late at night, Usopp knew that. He never understood why, but never cared to ask. And every night when he walked to the bathroom the strawhat wearing boy would always see the light and enter the room.

For some reason whenever he did Usopp always stepped further into the shadows, just far enough so he could hear but not been seen.

“Nami,” Luffy would yawn, “what are you still doing up?”

She would sometimes stop, sometimes continue but she would always answer, “I wanted to finish these before tomorrow.” When she stopped she would turn to him and frown, when she didn’t she would still frown.

“Why?”

She never answered and if she hadn’t stopped already she would and just stare at the map.

“I mean, there is always tomorrow.” And she would just stare at him as if stopping meant the end of the world. 

But then she would smile and sigh, “Yeah, you’re right… there is always tomorrow.”

Then she would put down her pen, not without hesitation and turn to their captain. The smile reflected her fear, but his only the shear joy that she had put the pen down.

“Tomorrow,” she repeated.

And he laughed because this was Luffy, “Tomorrow.”

He would reach for her and she would always walk right past his hand, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He would always laugh and hug her back. 

Usopp would smile as they walked back towards the sleeping quarters and watch as Luffy suddenly remember he had to pee.

And on rare occasions as Usopp watched for enemy ships and as Nami worked she would fall asleep right there at the desk. He always thought of going in and waking her up, but like clockwork Luffy would come, he always came. Luffy would come and see that she had fallen asleep.

“Nami,” He would say, shaking her so softly that Usopp thought that it couldn’t be Luffy. 

She would mumble about having to complete just one more. And he would shake her a little more until she sat up and looked at him. “Luffy?” He would always nod. 

Sometimes Nami cried, but only every with Luffy and only for a moment. In that moment Usopp would watch as Luffy lost the smile, as he placed his hat on her head. Then she stopped, whispered something Usopp would never hear and Luffy would smile.

Sometimes Nami would let Luffy carry her to bed, it had to be a really bad night for her to allow him to do that but sometimes she did. Most of the time he would turn the lamp off and walk back with her before running to the bathroom again.

Usopp never asked why Luffy always had to go to the bathroom at the same time every night, just chalking it up to one of his quirks. Plus he never wanted to have to tell him that he watched their interactions.

But one day Sanji did and although he would never ask he never said he wouldn’t listen. “Hey Luffy, why do you always go to the bathroom so early in the morning?”

“Because I drink a lot of water before bed.”

Of course that just made Sanji irritated, “Why do you drink so much water then?”

And Usopp laughed as Luffy grinned at the man, “Because I have to.”

It was Luffy so all the blonde did was scoff and mutter about what an idiot their captain was. And although it wasn’t the best explanation of why he does it, it was the best Luffy answer there was.

Usopp loved the late night watch. Not because there was no one to bother him about his blueprints or destroy his newest invention. He loved them because he was the only one who could ever hope to even peek into the world belonging only to a captain and his navigator.


	5. He Would Never Be Zoro

Usopp thought he knew Luffy better than anyone. Of course he knew that wasn’t true, but he liked to think he did. Deep down he knew only Zoro would ever understand their captain. Only Zoro he who never needed to be dragged over the edge, but who would willing jump without a word from his captain.

He liked to watch the two interact, which wasn’t often, but when it did happen it wasn’t loud or outstanding. No, their interactions were always quiet because there was never need for words. All those two needed was a glance between one another and that was that. 

Zoro, the one who would choose Luffy over everything, his dream, his friends, his pride. At least that’s what he was guessing after Chopper told him what happened at Water 7 when he had walked away from the crew. 

And although he would never admit it, Usopp was jealous. 

Jealous that he didn’t know Luffy better than anyone because where there was Luffy there would always be Zoro. Zoro, the man who had been there since the beginning, the man who Luffy trusted with his life. The man Luffy didn’t need to protect because he was the man who was standing next to him protecting everyone.

So even as Luffy laughed and laughed alongside him, Usopp always knew that he wasn’t Zoro, and although he could lie to himself all he wanted, Usopp would never be Zoro. And that meant that no matter how strong he became, no matter how much he trained those two years he would never been the man who could stand next to the Pirate King as an equal only ever behind them.


	6. Chopper's Fears

Chopper was shaking. He was scared, scared of failing. He was the only doctor on a ship fulling of some of the clumsiest and most injury prone pirate crew on the seas, at least he was pretty sure they were.

He was scared that he would mess up, or that one of them would come in with an injury he didn’t know how to treat, that he would fail and be casted assigned like a monster again. So for the first few days he locked himself in the ship’s infirmary, reading through book after book, making sure he would be able to treat any wound that he came across.

At some point, which Chopper was honestly surprised he didn’t notice, Luffy entered and sat behind him, watching as he read and took notes.

“What are you doing?” The captain finally asked, startling Chopper. And then he laughed as Chopper jumped, letting out a small scream.

“Luffy,” he said, a tremor from the scare still in his voice. “I-I was just reading through the materials.”

The black haired boy’s head tilted as he gave Chopper a questioning look. “But I thought you already read through this.”

“You can’t be too careful,” Chopper said followed by a weak laugh, hoping that he would drop it and leave soon.

Luffy shook his head, “ But you read through those just yesterday. Plus you’re missing out on all the fun.”

Chopper didn’t question how Luffy knew he read the medical books as early as yesterday, this boy was so weird that it would be weird if he didn’t know. “I’m this ship’s doctor, I have to be ready in case someone gets hurt.” ‘So I can be useful,’ he continued in his head. 

“I think you’re already a great doctor,” Luffy said with his signature grin on his face.

“Y-you think so?”

He nodded eagerly. “I asked you to join my crew, didn’t I?”

“Y-yeah… but…”

Luffy interrupted him, “And you have a dream don’t you?”

“Y-yeah.”

“To find a cure for every disease.” Chopper nodded. “I think that’s a great dream and if I didn’t think you would be able to do it I wouldn’t have asked you to join my crew.”

Chopper smiled at his captain, one of the few humans who was able to take the darkness inside Chopper and drown it in light. 

The light didn’t last though, the dark thought that he would fail and that he would lose this crew, this light, came back. “B-but, but what if I fail?”

And yet Luffy still smiled and chuckled. “You won’t.”

Chopper stared at him. He was so confident, so sure that the reindeer couldn’t fail and yet he still doubted himself, doubted this confidence Luffy had for him. “You don’t know that.”

“I do. You won’t fail, because you worked so hard to make sure you could take care of us. Plus you already did heal us,” Luffy placed his hands on Chopper’s shoulders. “You won’t fail.”

He could feel the tears beginning to overflow as they had when Luffy called out to him before. He cried while Luffy smiled.

When he was done he smiled back at his captain. “I’ll try my best.”

And Luffy’s smile grew, if you could believe it, “Good, now come on, Usopp found some water balloons so we’re all going to have a water fight before we get to ViVi’s home.”

“I’ll be out in a minute.” And with that Luffy was off, telling him they would wait for him, but he wasn’t sure the boy would be able to.

Chopper turned back to his books. He had opened them because he was scared, and part of him still was, but he was part of the greatest crew with the greatest captain. He closed his book, not so scared of failure anymore, because his captain told him he could do it and he trusted Luffy.


	7. Stronger

            Zoro cursed himself. He was never supposed to get hurt, he was supposed to get stronger and he couldn’t do that if he was constantly having to get patched up and miss valuable training time.

            He growled as he tried to push through the pain that his newest wound caused him.

            “You have to take at least a week off from doing all that exercising,” Chopper had told him when the doctor finished patching him. But he couldn’t do that. He needed to get stronger and stronger until he was the best.

            So he woke up early the next morning and left the sick bay. He added more weights to the bar, he needed to push himself further and further until he couldn’t be beat.

            He worked harder and harder until he was sure that he was going to break, but he couldn’t stop, not when he was still so weak.

            Zoro trained until the sun was rising, he could hear the sounds of the rest of the crew getting up, first was always Luffy far too excited to start his day. Luffy would always be the only one who would come over and be able to pull Zoro out of his focus long enough to get a good morning. It wasn’t that the rest didn’t try, he just only gave time for his captain.

            He pushed himself more and more until he felt it. The wound opened again. He looked down at his chest, blood was slowly making its way down and he cursed himself again. If only he was stronger than none of this would have happened.

            But he kept going. Chopper and Robin would be the last ones out on the deck, opting to read before starting their days.

            He pushed and pushed, the wound opening more and more until all the work that Chopper had down was erased, but he still pushed.

            Then Chopper ran on to the deck and began frantically looking around. He stopped when he spotted Zoro. “Zoro!” He yelled running towards the first mate. “You’re more injured than you were yesterday. Come on, I have to heal you before they get worse.” He grabbed the man’s pants and tried to pull him.

            “Just let me finish this set.”

            “No, now.” Zoro looked down at the reindeer, a very stern stare met his gaze. And he placed the weights down if only to please the creature knowing he would be back to finish the workout and start his second one for the day as soon as this was over.

            He followed Chopper back into the ship, giving Luffy a wave when the boy waved eagerly at him.

            Chopper was muttering to himself that Zoro was an idiot as he sat the man down and began digging for his tools.

            “I told you at least a week,” he said, his voice going higher. “Why didn’t you listen?”

            “I need to train.”

            “Not when you’re injured, you’ll make your wounds worse!”

            “If I was strong than I wouldn’t get hurt,” Zoro snapped. “I need to train so I can get stronger.”

            Chopper glared at him, “But if you keep opening your wounds there’s a chance you could die, and then you can’t get stronger.”

            “I can’t die, not until I complete my promise.”

            Chopper’s glare grew sterner and he hit the man on his head before he knew what came over him. “You can die! You’re human!” A pause. “I’m sorry!”

            Zoro stared at him. “You don’t understand, I can’t help Luffy if I’m weak. I need to get stronger and become the world’s greatest swordsman so I can help our captain.”

            It was the first time Chopper had ever heard Zoro say our captain instead of my captain. The first time this swordsman had actually talked to Chopper for an extending period of time in fact.

            “I-I get it,” Chopper said. “But you can’t help Luffy if you don’t get better. One week, one week then you can go back to training, but for yo… for Luffy’s sack, one week of rest so your wound has a chance to close.”

            Zoro wanted to say no, he knew he wouldn’t be able to do it even with Chopper’s sound reasoning. He opened his mouth to say exactly that when the door crashed open and there stood Luffy with a grand smile on his face.

            “Zoro, you alright?” The boy asked before seeing the long cut across his chest, “That doesn’t look good, but I’m sure Chopper will make it all better soon.”

            “… Yeah.”

            Luffy laughed before leaving in a very Luffy fashion, loud and unapologetic.

            Chopper waited a moment before trying to reason with Zoro again, “If you keep pushing yourself there is a chance you won’t be around much longer. Then who would Luffy depend on.”

            “It’s just a cut.”

            “This time it’s just a cut, but sometimes it’s not just a cut and Luffy needs you.”

            Zoro thought about it, about how he had to keep his promise, about how he had to watch Luffy become Pirate King and he needed to know he helped him get there. “I can’t do a week, at most I can do three days.”

            Chopper’s eyes sparkled at the compromise. “Fine, but you have to come back here before you start training again so I can check you wound.”

            “Deal.”


	8. Luffy Loves A Lot Of Things

            Luffy loved a lot of things, because there were a lot of things to love. He loved his crew and the friends he made along the way. He loved his brothers and his grandpa. He loved Makino and Shanks and his whole crew. He even loved Dadan and those mountain bandits of hers. And of course, he loved food and adventuring.

            Luffy also hated a lot of things. He hated people who made his loved ones and friends cry. He hated other mountain bandits. He hated not being able to eat or having to watch the ship when they docked. He hated death. He hated being alone.

            He didn’t want others to know how many things he hated. He hid it behind a smile, a large smile that swallowed his whole face and made it nearly impossible to tell when he was sad or angry. He didn’t need anyone worrying about him.

            But, somehow, those closest to him always knew.

            He didn’t know how, but they always did.

            Like when he doesn’t play with Chopper or Usopp and instead opts to sit near where Zoro sleeps. He still smiles, but when Chopper asked him to come play he doesn’t. He just makes up an excuse to sit right there, next to his first crewmember, his best friend. Zoro notices, even if no else does in these moments, Zoro notices and smiles. These smiles are for only Luffy, wide smiles that match his. Zoro always tells him they should go raid the kitchen. Luffy always goes, because now he’s smiling and he can’t stop as they stand up and try to sneak into the kitchen without Sanji hearing them. Zoro and Luffy smile like idiots even as they get chased out, this was their moment a moment between two best friends that the rest of the world didn’t need to understand.

            Or like when he sits on the head of Thousand Sunny too much and doesn’t laugh too much, Nami always climbs up and sits with him, even though she’s scared of sitting up there. But she ways does. And she never says anything, she just sits there and hums a song he was sure he knew. He sometimes hummed, other times he just listened to her and the world was right again.

            And how sometimes Usopp will notice Luffy just staring at the ocean, supposedly fishing but a fish had long since pulled the fishing pole out of his hand. In this moment Usopp doesn’t pay much mind, instead focuses on the blue print he is finishing, making sure to add one or two more gadgets that he was sure would make Luffy smile. Then, once it was done and he was sure even Franky would be impressed he calls Luffy over. Sometimes Luffy doesn’t notice and Usopp goes up to him and shows him. Luffy almost always drops it after his eyes sparkle in amazement and he takes the blue print. Usopp always tells him it’s no big deal even if it was, because he could redraw the blue print, but Luffy needed a smile.

            Then there are the times when Sanji’s cooking. He’s cooking, but he can see Luffy in the corner of his eye just staring at the wall, no smile to be seen. He continues cooking, making sure to make a perfectly balanced meal for Nami and Robin, while using what’s about to go bad or in some cases already has for the others. When he’s done he goes to call everyone for dinner but not before placing a meat on the bone in front of Luffy and watch him scarf it done it a matter of seconds. Luffy smiles after that, happy that for once he got to eat before anyone else and that this was their secret, after all Luffy loves secrets.

            Luffy always knew when Chopper was trying to make him feel better. Chopper always did the same thing. Pull on his shorts when he seemed not like the Luffy that Chopper loved. Luffy would always pick him up and smile at him. Chopper would just hug him. Sometimes hugs truly are the best medicine. Luffy always hugged back.

            And sometimes even Robin would try to make him feel better. She could always tell when Luffy was down and when she did she always made sure to move closer him after grabbing a fairy tale from her bookshelf. She always read out loud, something that she never did for anyone else. But for Luffy she would always make an exception and when he smiled as brightly as he should she knew why.

            Franky was always the last to notice, not that he didn’t care, but it was hard for him to notice was all. Franky did notice, even if it was later, he always notice and when he did it was always when Luffy wasn’t smiling. Luffy would sometimes sit and watch the fish swim and that’s when Franky noticed, Luffy never sat still unless something was wrong. In those moments Franky would laugh and call for him, ready to some him something on his body that he hadn’t before, whether that be a weapon that in retrospect was useless, or showing him a toy he had built it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the real Luffy smile and amazement that followed.

            There has only ever been one time when Brook noticed Luffy not his normal self. It was a hard day, a day that Luffy truly couldn’t smile and had tried to hide from his crew knowing they would worry. Brook had found him, but unlike everyone else he kept his distance. Brook knew what sadness was, he knew what it was like to be lost, but he also knew what it was like to be found. Instead, to bring the smile back to his darling captain’s face he began to play. He played a happy upbeat song he had written for Luffy after their first meeting. He always played this song, even when Luffy wasn’t sad because Luffy always smiled a little bigger when he did.

            There were times that Luffy could only remember know. Like when he used to cry after being left alone too long. Ace would always call him a crybaby before sitting down beside him and Sabo would place his hat on Luffy’s head. There the three of them would sit, two comforting the third as he cried for a while longer. And then they would all go back to Dadan who would see Luffy and instantly know to make dinner. On those days she always made a big dinner, even let him eat before everyone else.

            Or the time that Shanks told him it was alright even though Luffy had scared Makino half to death and Shanks had lost his arm. Luffy had cried then, more so than usual.

            Luffy had a lot of things he loved, and a lot he didn’t. He also had a lot that made him sad, but he knew that no matter how sad he got he had memories and people ready to bring him back.


	9. A Friendship Law Never Asked For

       Law couldn’t pinpoint why he was so drawn to the straw hat boy. Maybe it was the smile that reminded him of Cora. Maybe it was his lack of fear. Or, maybe it was because when he saw Luffy angry it reminded him of himself.

       Of course there was his strength that Law needed if he was to beat Doflamingo. He liked that this boy would listen to him without question. And he didn’t seem to realize that Law was just using him. Or at least that was the plan, but plan and Monkey D. Luffy should never been in the same sentence unless that sentence was Luffy never follows the plan.

       But that was Luffy for ya. Luffy, the boy with the straw hat, the boy who started a new era, the boy who couldn’t die and who Law refused to let die… the boy who in turn saved Law.

       Law never expected to see that annoying straw hat outside of the papers, at least not until they competed to see who would be the pirate king, which Law was sure would be one of them. And yet fate (Law decided this was the only possible explanation), had other plans.

       Punk Hazard was the first step for Law, in truth he thought he wouldn’t even make it this far, but he did. And to get what he wanted Law would do anything. Even if anything meant hurting some kids. Course the straw hat crew had other plans, and somehow he became part of those plans.

       At first he saw this as something good. He had sent his crew away to protect them and here comes a whole crew of idiots with a completely moronic leader who was more than happy to help out Law.

       And this was the first step to their friendship, after that nothing could have stopped it.

       Law would never been sure of when he truly saw Luffy as more than an idiotic straw hat wearing freak. He wasn’t even sure why it happened. But somewhere that straw hat, no, the boy wearing the straw hat changed him. He would never say they were friends, more like equals with the same goal, but for Luffy that meant they were friends and for Law that was about as close to friendship as he could muster.

       Yet, he found that he could smile more, that he actually laughed once or twice. Luffy had brought out a part of Law that he was sure had died off long ago, whether that be with his parents and sister or with Cora.

       And the more time he spent with Luffy the more he was reminded of his dearly departed friend. The constant stupidity, constant laughter, constant smiling.

       Law could never pinpoint why he was always so drawn to Luffy. A part of him knew that they were friends, as much as he hated to admit it, but another part of him was happy about it. To have someone willing to put their faith in you without question and without reason other than one event so long ago.

       He knew that in the end Luffy would stand to be pirate king, but he also knew that he would make it as difficult as possible, because what are friends for if not to ruin your plans.


	10. The Sea Called

            Luffy stood on the edge of where sand met water. He felt the water dance over his feet, trying to draw him deeper into its reach. And he really wanted to follow.

            He took a step deeper, his strength was being pulled but it was okay, because the sea had him and it was telling him it was okay. So he took another step, now knee deep in.

            “What are you doing?” He snapped out of trance and turned to see Nami standing behind him with a look of shock and horror.

            “Nami!” He yelled, purely out of the joy of seeing his friend.

            She ran at him, pulling him from the reach of the water. Luffy felt a little bit of sadness as the feeling of the ocean’s warmth left him, but still, Nami was here so it was okay.

            “Are you trying to kill yourself?” She asked, making sure to smack him on his head as if that would help his thought process.

            He pouted, “I just wanted to play in the water for a little bit.”

            “You idiot, water is bad.”

            “It’s not bad,” he said making sure to smile as wide as possible.

            She muttered something about him being an idiot and kneeled down so they were eye to eye. She smiled at him, but he knew this smile, it meant she was trying to talk to him in a way she thought he would understand. “Luffy, you ate a devil fruit, which means you can’t swim and that being in water weakens you.”

            “I know.”

            She sighed, “Then why… would you be playing in the water like that?”

            He shrugged, he knew if he told her the real reason she wouldn’t believe him.

            “Just, just don’t do that when me or Zoro aren’t with you, okay?”

            He wanted to tell her that he was the captain and an adult and didn’t need to be treated like a child. But instead he nodded, because it made Nami feel better and ended the conversation end quickly.

            “Okay,” she sighed, “Why don’t we go join the others? The food should be ready by now.”

            Luffy jumped at the mention of food and began running back towards the ship, currently docked on the other side of the island.

 

            Luffy sighed, rubbing his now abnormally large stomach. He was making his way back to the edge of the water, but this time while both Nami and Zoro watched closely from the beach, Nami pretending to read and Zoro pretending to sleep.

            He really wanted to tell them not to worry, but knew it would just make them worry more. He didn’t know why, he wouldn’t die, at least not until he found the One Piece.

            He didn’t dare to step too deep into the water, instead sitting down right near the edge, opting to watch as the sun moved further and further down the sky and touched the sea. He laughed, remembering something he was told a long time ago.

            “The sea is the beginning and the end.” He couldn’t remember who told him that, but he was pretty sure that it was someone really wise.

            He watched for a little longer when he heard someone sit down next to him. He looked to see Zoro, who also watched the sun set with him.

            Luffy knew that Zoro would never scold him for walking into the water, instead he would sit there, close enough to grab Luffy in case he did need help but far enough that Luffy could do what he wanted.

            “The sea is the beginning and the end,” Luffy said, repeating those words he still couldn’t remember who said.

            Zoro chuckled, but still said nothing.

            Luffy could hear Nami yell something about it was time to head back to the ship. But they sat there a little longer, in silence as the moon danced with the sea.

            “What do you hear?” Luffy asked finally breaking their comfortable silence.

            Zoro didn’t answer for a few moments, and Luffy really thought he wouldn’t at that point. “The sea.”

            This made him smile and he looked at his friend, “Me too.” But he knew it wasn’t the same sea he heard.

 

            Luffy once again stood where sand meets sea. Much like the first time by himself, but this time he didn’t step into the water, he didn’t want to make Nami worry.

            He sighed as the water lapped at his feet, calling to him, begging him to step deeper into the water, but he didn’t.

            Instead he laughed, whole heartedly and full of joy. He looked towards the ship where his crew was standing, waiting for their captain. And he smiled at them.

            He stretched his arms, flinging himself towards his ship and landing in the center of the deck.

            “Let’s go!” He yelled, still hearing the sea as it guided him towards his next adventure, towards the One Piece.

             For Luffy has always listened and followed as the sea called.


End file.
